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Abstract:

Social communities are recommended based on media affinity. When content
is scheduled for recording, a media identifier is used to identify a
social community expressing an affinity for the same media identifier.
The social community may be any individual(s), clubs, and/or
organizations that have expressed any affinity to terms or subject
matter, such as the media identifier.

Claims:

1. A method for updating a social community, comprising: receiving, at a
server, a recording schedule identifying content to be recorded by a
client device; determining a cancelation of an entry in the recording
schedule that was previously scheduled for recording by the client
device; retrieving a network address of the social community that is
associated with the content canceled from the recording; and sending,
from the server, a community removal message to the network address to
remove the client device from a membership in the social community.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising enrolling the client device
in the membership of the social community.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the entry in the
recording schedule.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a buddy address
of the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the buddy address
from the membership in the social community.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting to remove the
client device from the membership in the social community.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a recording
cancelation message.

8. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing code that when
executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations
comprising: receiving a recording schedule identifying content to be
recorded by a client device; determining a cancelation of an entry in the
recording schedule that was previously scheduled for recording by the
client device; retrieving a network address of the social community that
is associated with the content canceled from the recording; and sending a
community removal message to the network address to remove the client
device from a membership in the social community.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise
enrolling the client device in the membership of the social community.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise
deleting the entry in the recording schedule.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise
determining a buddy address of the client device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise
removing the buddy address from the membership in the social community.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise
prompting to remove the client device from the membership in the social
community.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise
receiving a recording cancelation message.

15. A memory storing code that when executed causes a processor to
perform operations, the operations comprising: receiving a recording
schedule identifying content to be recorded by a client device;
determining a cancelation of an entry in the recording schedule that was
previously scheduled for recording by the client device; retrieving a
network address of the social community that is associated with the
content canceled from the recording; and sending a community removal
message to the network address to remove the client device from a
membership in the social community.

16. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise
enrolling the client device in the membership of the social community.

17. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise
deleting the entry in the recording schedule.

18. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise
determining a buddy address of the client device.

19. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise
removing the buddy address from the membership in the social community.

20. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise
prompting to remove the client device from the membership in the social
community.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.
13/434,885 filed Mar. 30, 2012, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______, which
is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/900,732, filed Sep. 13,
2007, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,171,044, with both applications
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

[0002] This application generally relates to interactive multimedia
distribution systems and, more particularly, to operator interfaces and
to interaction.

[0003] Many people enjoy movies, TV programs, music, and even games. Many
people would enjoy meeting others who share an interest in a show, game,
or movie. Some people, for example, greatly enjoy the STAR WARS®
movies and would like to meet other people who share their interest. Some
people who enjoy jazz music may wish to meet others who share that same
enjoyment.

SUMMARY

[0004] The aforementioned problems, and other problems, are addressed,
according to exemplary embodiments, by methods, systems, and products
that recommend social communities to users. The term "social community,"
as used herein, includes any individual(s), clubs, and/or organizations
that have expressed some affinity to terms or subject matter. A social
community, for example, may be a website, chat room, distribution list,
and/or individual user who has expressed some association, likeness,
relationship, attraction, or, in general, affinity with a term or
subject. Some exemplary embodiments, for example, describe a method that
receives a media identifier. The media identifier identifies a movie,
program, game, music, or other media for which the user has expressed an
interest. A community database may be queried for the media identifier,
and the community database associates social communities to media
identifiers. The social community associated with the media identifier is
retrieved. The social community is then sent to the user.

[0005] In another exemplary embodiment, a system is disclosed for
recommending a social community. The system is operative to receive a
media identifier and query a community database for the media identifier.
The community database associates social communities to media
identifiers. The social community associated with the media identifier is
retrieved. The social community is then sent to the user.

[0006] More exemplary embodiments describe a computer program product for
recommending a social community. The computer program product includes
processor-executable instructions for receiving a media identifier and
for querying a community database for the media identifier. The community
database associates social communities to media identifiers. The social
community associated with the media identifier is retrieved. The social
community is then sent to the user.

[0007] Other systems, methods, and/or devices according to the exemplary
embodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon
review of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended
that all such additional systems, methods, and/or devices be included
within this description, be within the scope of the exemplary
embodiments, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary
embodiments are better understood when the following Detailed Description
is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0009] FIGS. 1-3 are schematics illustrating an operating environment,
according to exemplary embodiments;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a process for recommending
social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments;

[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating another process for recommending
social communities, according to even more exemplary embodiments;

[0012] FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematics further illustrating a process for
recommending social communities, according to even more exemplary
embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 8 is a schematic further illustrating yet another process for
recommending social communities, according to still more exemplary
embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 9 is a schematic further illustrating another process for
recommending social communities, according to yet more exemplary
embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 10 is a schematic further illustrating yet another process for
recommending social communities, according to still more exemplary
embodiments;

[0016] FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematics illustrating a graphical user
interface 230 for recommending social communities, according to more
exemplary embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recommending
social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments;

[0019]FIG. 15 is another flowchart illustrating another method for
recommending social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments;
and

[0020] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another method for recommending
social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The exemplary embodiments now will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The reader
should recognize, however, that the exemplary embodiments may be embodied
in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope
of the exemplary embodiments. Moreover, all statements herein reciting
exemplary embodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended
to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.
Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently
known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e.,
any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of
structure).

[0022] Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary
skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the
like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and
methods of the exemplary embodiments. The functions of the various
elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of
dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated
software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual
only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program
logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program
control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique
being selectable by the entity implementing the exemplary embodiments.
Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary
hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems
described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not
intended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an operating environment,
according to exemplary embodiments. FIG. 1 illustrates a user's
electronic device 20 communicating with a server 22 via a communications
network 24. Although the user's electronic device 20 is generically
shown, as later paragraphs will explain, the electronic device 20 may be
a computer, set-top box, digital recorder, or any other device. Whatever
the user's electronic device 20, the user's electronic device 20 may have
a processor 26 (e.g., "μP"), application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), or other similar device that executes a recording application 28
stored in memory 30. According to exemplary embodiments, the recording
application 28 may include processor-executable code or instructions that
cause the processor 26 to record some media (e.g., movie, music,
programming, and/or image). The processor 26 may also communicate with a
user interface 32 for indicating what media is to be recorded. The user
interface 32 is illustrated as a remote control 34, but the user
interface 32 may be a control panel, keypad, keyboard, display, or any
other means for receiving spoken or tactile inputs. The processor 26
receives an input via the user interface 32, and the input instructs the
processor 26 to create an entry 36 in a recording schedule 38. The
recording schedule 38 is stored in the memory 30 and may identify the
media selected for recording.

[0024] The server 22 receives the recording schedule 38. Whenever the user
desires to schedule recording of a programming event or media, the
processor 26 may inform the server 22. As FIG. 1 illustrates, the
recording application 28 may instruct the processor 26 to invoke a
network interface 40 to communicate the recording schedule 38 to the
server 22. The processor 26 thus sends the recording schedule 38 via the
communications network 24 to the server 22. The recording application 28
may instruct the processor 26 to send the recording schedule 38 on an
hourly, daily, weekly, or other temporal-based measure. The recording
schedule 38 may additionally or alternatively be sent whenever a change
occurs, such as when a new or different event or media is scheduled for
recording and/or for deletion. The recording application 28 may
additionally or alternatively only send individual titles or other
identifiers of additions or changes to the recording schedule 38.
Regardless, the server 22 may be notified of any event or media that is
scheduled for recording by the user's electronic device 20 (or by any
device networked with the user's electronic device 20).

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic further illustrating the operating
environment, according to more exemplary embodiments. Here the server 22
is simply illustrated, with a server processor 50 communicating with a
network interface 52 and with server memory 54. A community application
56 is stored in the server memory 54. According to exemplary embodiments,
the community application 56 may include processor-executable code or
instructions that cause the server processor 50 to analyze the recording
schedule 38 and to recommend one or more social communities. As FIG. 2
illustrates, the server processor 50 receives the user's recording
schedule 38 via the network interface 52 to the communications network
24. The recording schedule 38 may indicate what media is scheduled for
recording by the user's electronic device 20. The recording schedule 38
may identify the media to be recorded, such as by a media identifier 58.
The media identifier 58 may be any alphanumeric identification that
uniquely identifies the media. While the media identifier 58 may be a
title, for example, the media identifier 58 is more likely a code that
uniquely identifies the media to be recorded. The recording schedule 38
may also identify a time 60 and/or a date 62 of scheduled recording, a
channel 64 on which the programming event may be offered/scheduled,
and/or a network address 66 from which the media may be obtained.

[0027] The community application 56 may query a community database 70. The
community database 70 is illustrated as being locally stored in the
server memory 54, yet the community database 70 may be remotely stored
and accessed via the communications network 24. The community database 70
associates social communities to media identifiers. FIG. 2, for example,
illustrates the community database 70 as a table 72 that maps, relates,
or otherwise associates media identifiers 58 to social communities 76.
The community application 56 may extract the media identifier 58 from the
recording schedule 38. When the recording schedule 38 identifies the time
60 and/or the date 62 of scheduled recording, the channel 64 on which the
media may be scheduled, and/or the network address 66 from which the
media may be obtained, then the community application 56 may discard one,
some, or all of that information from the recording schedule 38. The
community application 56 may then query the community database 70 for the
media identifier 58 associated with the media to be recorded by the
user's electronic device 20.

[0028] The community application 56 retrieves a social community. When the
community database 70 receives the media identifier 58, the community
database 70 looks up or retrieves any social communities 76 that are
associated with the media identifier 58. The social communities 76 may be
any individuals, clubs, and/or organizations that are related to the
media identifier 58. The social communities 76 may include websites, chat
rooms, group lists, distribution lists, and/or other electronic
communities that are associated with the media identifier 58. Suppose,
for example, that the media identifier 58 corresponds to a NASCAR®
race. That is, the user's electronic device 20 (or some networked device)
is scheduled to record a NASCAR® race. The community database 70 may
then retrieve one or more social communities 76 that are related to the
media identifier 58 (corresponding to the NASCAR® race). The
community database 70, for example, may retrieve one or more chat room
addresses that are topically oriented to NASCAR® fans. The community
database 70 may retrieve website and server addresses representing fan
clubs, enthusiast's sites, ticket agencies, and/or travel agencies. The
community database 70 may retrieve website addresses for merchants
selling/offering NASCAR®-related clothing, souvenirs, goods, and
services. The community database 70 may retrieve any server or
destination address having content related to the media identifier 58.

[0029] The community database 70 may also retrieve lists of addresses. The
community database 70, for example, may associate the media identifier 58
to one or more user groups. Each user group may be one or more
communications addresses for users that have expressed an affinity for
the media identifier 58. A user group may include members or participants
who are merchants, clubs, and/or formal organizations. The community
database 70, for example, may retrieve a listing of email, instant
messaging, pager, website, or any other communications addresses for
users belonging to some NASCAR®-oriented community. The community
database 70 may retrieve a listing of communications addresses for
individual users who wish to converse/communicate about NASCAR®.
Again, the listing of communications addresses may include email and/or
instant messaging addresses for individual users, yet the listing may
also include telephone numbers and/or physical addresses. The community
database 70 may retrieve any user name, address, club, or organization
having an affinity with the media identifier 58.

[0030] The media identifier 58 and the community database 70 may be
expanded. The media identifier 58 may additionally or alternatively
include any information related to media. The media identifier 58, for
example, may include a name of an actor ("Harrison Ford") or actress
("Betty Grable"). The media identifier 58 may describe a genre
("educational," "science," "romance," or "action"). The media identifier
58 may describe a theme (e.g., "racing," "antiques," "horses," or
"gardening"), setting ("hospital" or "restaurant"), location ("New York"
or "Paris"), or scene ("harbor" or "farm"). The media identifier 58 may
describe a producer, director, animator, or other person/entity (e.g.,
PIXAR®) involved in the media production. The media identifier 58 may
describe one or more characters, such as LUKE SKYWALKER® or JAMES
BOND®. The media identifier 58 may even describe names, phone
numbers, websites, physical addresses, or any other information. The
media identifier 58, in general, may describe any term(s) or subject(s).
The community database 70, then, may be expanded to associate these terms
and/or subjects to social communities. The community database 70 may
store any social community having an affinity for any term or subject
matter. When a social community registers for inclusion in the community
database 70, the community may list or include any number of terms for
which an affinity is desired.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic further illustrating the operating
environment, according to exemplary embodiments. Whatever the media
identifier 58, the community application 56 may retrieve one or more
social communities 76 that are associated with the media identifier 58.
The community application 56 may instruct the server processor 50 to send
a listing 90 of communities. The listing 90 of communities may comprise
the query results from the community database 70. The listing 90 of
communities may comprise information describing users, addresses, club
names, and/or organizations having any affinity with the media identifier
58. The listing 90 of communities may comprise information describing
chat rooms, user groups, IM communities, or individual users having an
affinity with the media identifier 58. FIG. 3, for simplicity,
illustrates the listing 90 of communities being communicated to the
user's electronic device 20. The listing 90 of communities, however, may
be sent to any physical or electronic address associated with the user.

[0032] The user receives the listing 90 of communities. The user's
electronic device 20 may visually and/or audibly present the listing 90
of communities (such as on a display device 92). The user is thus
informed of others who share some similar affinity for the same media
identifier 58. The user may then contact any member, user, or address in
the listing 90 of communities and share similar interests and/or
experiences.

[0033] Some aspects of social communities are known, so this disclosure
will not discuss the known aspects. If, however, the reader desires more
information, the reader is invited to consult the following sources: U.S.
Pat. No. 6,519,771 to Zenith; Published U.S. Patent Application
2003/0078972 to Tapissier, et al.; Published U.S. Patent Application
2004/0111467 to Willis; Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0117831 to
Ellis, et al.; Published U.S. Patent Application 2005/0071884 to Champel,
et al.; Published U.S. Patent Application 2005/0132401 to Boccon-Gibod,
et al.; Published U.S. Patent Application 2005/0149987 to Boccon-Gibod,
et al.; Published U.S. Patent Application 2006/0123080 to Baudino, et
al.; Published U.S. Patent Application 2006/0271961 to Jacoby, et al.;
and Published U.S. Patent Application 2006/0282851 to Errico, et al.

[0034] The server 22 is only simply illustrated. Because the architecture
and operating principles of the server 22 are well known, its hardware
and software components are not further shown and described. If the
reader desires more details, the reader is invited to consult the
following sources: ANDREW TANENBAUM, COMPUTER NETWORKS (4th edition
2003); WILLIAM STALLINGS, COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE:
DESIGNING FOR PERFORMANCE (7th Ed., 2005); and DAVID A. PATTERSON &
JOHN L. HENNESSY, COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN: THE HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
INTERFACE (3rd. Edition 2004).

[0035] Exemplary embodiments may be applied regardless of networking
environment. The communications network 24 may be a cable network
operating in the radio-frequency domain and/or the Internet Protocol (IP)
domain. The communications network 24, however, may also include a
distributed computing network, such as the Internet (sometimes
alternatively known as the "World Wide Web"), an intranet, a local-area
network (LAN), and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communications
network 24 may include coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines,
and/or hybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network 24 may even
include wireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum and any signaling standard (such as the I.E.E.E. 802 family of
standards, GSM/CDMA/TDMA or any cellular standard, and/or the ISM band).
The concepts described herein may be applied to any wireless/wireline
communications network, regardless of physical componentry, physical
configuration, or communications standard(s).

[0036]FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a process for recommending
social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments. Here
exemplary embodiments share communities amongst buddies. That is, when a
"buddy" is a member of a social community, exemplary embodiments may
inform other "buddies" of those same communities. A "buddy" designation
between users may indicate similar interests, so buddies may be
recommended the same social communities.

[0037] As FIG. 4 illustrates, the server 22 receives the user's recording
schedule 38 (Block 100). The recording schedule 38 may include the media
identifier 58, and the recording schedule 38 may include a user
identification 102. The user identification 102 may be a username,
password, or other alphanumeric identifier that uniquely identifies the
user associated with the recording schedule 38. The community application
56 may query a buddy database 104 for the user identification 102 (Block
106). The buddy database 104 is illustrated as being locally stored in
the server 22, yet the buddy database 104 may be remotely stored and
accessed via the communications network (illustrated as reference numeral
24 in FIGS. 1-3). The buddy database 104 may also cooperate with, or be
incorporated into, the community database (illustrated as reference
numeral 70 in FIGS. 2 and 3). The buddy database 104 may associate user
identifications to buddies and/or buddy lists. The buddy database 104, in
other words, helps determine a user's buddies. The buddy database 104
responds by returning/sending one or more buddy user identifications that
are associated with the user identification 102. The community
application 56 retrieves the buddy user identifications associated with
the user identification 102 (Block 108).

[0038] The community application 56 may then query a community membership
database 110 (Block 112). The community membership database 110 maps,
relates, or otherwise associates user identifications to membership
listings of social communities. The community membership database 110 is
illustrated as being locally stored in the server 22, yet the community
membership database 110 may be remotely stored and accessed via the
communications network 24. The community membership database 110 may also
cooperate with, or be incorporated into, the community database
(illustrated as reference numeral 70 in FIGS. 2 and 3). The community
application 56 queries the community membership database 110 for the
buddy user identifications. The community membership database 110, in
other words, tracks what users (e.g., user identifications) are
associated with social communities. Suppose, for example, that a buddy
belongs to a "home repair" community. When the "home repair" community is
registered in the community membership database 110, then the community
membership database 110 may store or access a membership listing for the
"home repair" community. The community membership database 110 responds
to queries by providing names of social communities for which the buddy
belongs. The community application 56 may then retrieve the names of
social communities associated with the buddy's user identification (Block
114).

[0039] The user may then receive the names of the buddy's social
communities. The community application 56 may send the names of the
buddy's social communities (Block 116). The user's electronic device 20
may visually and/or audibly present the names (such as on the display
device 92 illustrated in FIG. 3). The community application 56 may send a
notification informing the user of the buddy's communities (e.g., "Your
buddy johnsmith' is a member of the `home repair` community."). The user
is thus informed of the buddy's social communities. Here, then, the
community application 56 may assume that "buddies" share a similar
affinity for social communities. When a user's buddy belongs to a social
community, then the community application 56 may recommend that same
community to the user.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating another process for recommending
social communities, according to even more exemplary embodiments. Here
exemplary embodiments may automatically enroll the user in the buddy's
social communities. The community application 56 retrieves the addresses
and/or names of social communities associated with the buddy's user
identification (Block 120). The community application 56 may send those
social communities to the user's electronic device 20 (Block 122). Here,
though, the community application 56 may also automatically enroll the
user in one or more of the buddy's communities. The community application
56 acts on behalf of the user to enroll the user in the one or more of
the buddy's social communities. The community application 56 may be
configured to assume that one, some, or all "buddies" share a similar
affinity for social communities. As FIG. 5 illustrates, the community
application 56 may send an instruction to add the user identification to
a membership listing associated with the buddy's social community (Block
124). The community application 56 may send the instruction to a server,
application, or other network address that stores, maintains, or manages
the membership listing. The community application 56, for example, may
send the instruction to a server address that stores a membership listing
for the "home repair" community. The instruction may include any
information needed for enrollment, such as a username and/or password
associated with the user. The community application 56 may receive a
response that confirms or denies enrollment (Block 126). When enrollment
is confirmed, the community application 56 may update the community
membership database 110 with the user's identification (Block 128). The
community application 56 thus helps maintain accurate membership listings
of social communities.

[0041] FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematics further illustrating a process for
recommending social communities, according to even more exemplary
embodiments. Here exemplary embodiments may remove users from social
communities. As FIG. 6 illustrates, the community application 56 may send
a notification of the buddy's social communities (Block 140). The
notification may include or list one or more names of the buddy's social
communities. The notification may cause the recording application 28 to
prompt the user to accept membership in one or more of the buddy's social
communities (e.g., "Would you like to be enrolled in the `home repair`
community?") (Block 142). When the user affirmatively responds (Block
144), the community application 56 may send the instruction to the
network address that stores, maintains, or manages the corresponding
membership listing (Block 146). (Should the user negatively respond, then
no instruction may be sent.) When the community application 56 receives
an enrollment confirmation (Block 148), the community application 56 may
update the community membership database 110 with the user's
identification (Block 150).

[0042] The process continues with FIG. 7. Sometimes, however, a user may
be automatically removed from a social community. At any time, for
example, the user may request for removal from a community. The community
application 56 may receive a removal request (Block 152). The community
application 56 may then send a removal instruction to the network address
that stores, maintains, or manages the corresponding membership listing
(Block 154). The removal instruction causes removal or deletion of a user
identification from a community's membership roster or listing.

[0043] The recording schedule may also cause automatic removed from a
social community. As the above paragraphs explained, the community
application 56 may recommend, and perhaps enroll the user in, social
communities. Sometimes, however, the user may no longer desire to record
an event or media. Perhaps the user is no longer interested in the media.
Perhaps the user learns that the programming event contains objectionable
material. Whatever the reason, the user may delete an entry from the
recording schedule 38. When the user deletes an entry from the recording
schedule, the recording application 28 may send a recording cancellation
message. When the server 22 receives the recording cancellation message
(Block 156), the recording cancellation message may identify the user
identification 102 and the media identifier 58 that has been removed from
the user's recording schedule. Because the user has deleted this media
identifier 58 from the recording schedule 38, the community application
56 may remove the user from social communities associated with the media
identifier 58. The community application 56, for example, may instruct
(or send an instruction to) the community membership database 110 (Block
158). The instruction may include the user identification 102 and the
media identifier 58. The instruction causes the community membership
database 110 to remove the user identification 102 from any social
communities associated with the media identifier 58. The community
application 56 may additionally or alternatively send an instruction to
the network address that stores, maintains, or manages the community's
corresponding membership listing (Block 160). The instruction causes
removal or deletion of the user identification 102 from the community's
membership roster or listing. Here, then, deletion of an entry from the
recording schedule may trigger removal of membership in a community.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a schematic further illustrating yet another process for
recommending social communities, according to still more exemplary
embodiments. Here the user's recording schedule 38 may be automatically
updated to schedule recording of programming and other media items. When
the community application 56 receives the user's recording schedule 38,
the community application 56 retrieves the social communities associated
with the media identifier 58 (Block 170). The community application 56
may also retrieve network addresses associated with each social community
(Block 172). The community application 56 may then query a network
address for one or more popular media items (Block 174). Each popular
media item may be some program, movie, picture, website, chat room, or
any other media that is popularly recommended by the social community.
Members of the social community may vote or rank media that is of
interest to the members. Members of the social community may develop a
recommendation list of media that is of interest to the members. However
the popular media items are determined, the community application 56 may
query for those media items that are popularly recommended by the
community. The community application 56 retrieves a recommended media
identifier associated with each popular media item (Block 176). The
community application 56 may then send a recording instruction to the
user's electronic device 20 (Block 178). The recording instruction
includes the recommended media identifier that corresponds to the popular
media item recommended by the community. The recording instruction causes
the recording application 28 to create a new entry in the user's
recording schedule 38 (Block 180). The recording instruction may include
a time, channel, and/or network address associated with the recommended
media identifier. The recording application 28 thus adds the recommended
media identifier to the recording schedule 38. The recording application
28 may initiate a search for programming details associated with the
recommended media identifier. The recording application 28, for example,
may search a program listing or electronic program guide for the
recommended media identifier. The recording application 28 may query a
database server (such as a YAHOO® or GOOGLE® server) for
programming details (e.g., channel, date, and/or time of broadcast or a
content server address). However the details are obtained, the user's
recording schedule 38 may be updated to record content recommended by a
social community.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a schematic further illustrating another process for
recommending social communities, according to yet more exemplary
embodiments. Here again the user's recording schedule 38 may be
automatically updated to schedule recording of programming and other
media items. When the community application 56 receives the user's
recording schedule 38, the community application 56 may query a recording
database 190 (Block 192). The recording database 190 is illustrated as
being locally stored in the server memory 54, yet the recording database
190 may be remotely stored and accessed via the communications network
24. The recording database 190 may also cooperate with, or be
incorporated into, the community database (illustrated as reference
numeral 70 in FIGS. 2 and 3). The recording database 190 tallies how many
users are recording a particular media item. The recording database 190
thus tracks and/or ranks the most popular media and/or programming events
that are being recorded by a population of users. The recording database
190, for example, may be affiliated with a social community, such that
the user's affinity for that social community helps ensure the
popularly-recorded media may be of interest to the user. The recording
database 190, however, may tally the recording habits of a neighborhood,
city, county, state, or other regional/geographic population. The
recording database 190 may tally users' recording habits by sex (male and
female users), by age (e.g., children, teens, adults, senior citizens),
income, or by any other demographic.

[0046] The community application 56 receives a response to the query
(Block 194). The recording database 190 responds with one or more popular
media identifiers 58 that correspond to popular media items that are
being recorded by other users. The community application 56 may then send
a recording instruction to the user's electronic device 20 (Block 196).
The recording instruction may include the popular media identifiers 58
and causes the recording application 28 to create one or more new entries
in the user's recording schedule 38 (Block 198). The recording
instruction may include a time, channel, and/or network address
associated with the popular media identifiers 58. The recording
application 28 thus adds the popular media identifiers 58 to the
recording schedule 38. The recording application 28, if needed, may
initiate a search for programming details associated with the popular
media identifiers 58 (as explained with reference to FIG. 8). However the
details are obtained, the user's recording schedule is updated to record
popular content.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a schematic further illustrating yet another process for
recommending social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments.
Here social communities may recommend media according to ratings or other
evaluations. When the user enrolls in a social community, exemplary
embodiments may permit that user to establish minimum ratings for
recommendations. That is, the user may establish a profile that limits
what media content may be recommended by other users. As FIG. 9
illustrates, the community application 56 may receive a minimum threshold
that is permitted by a user (Block 210). The user, for example, may only
desire recommended media having a three-star (***) or four-star (****)
rating. The user may only be interested in media that has a "top 5"
ranking However a community or population of users recommends media, the
user may only wish to be informed of media that satisfies the minimum
threshold rating or ranking The community application 56 may then query a
community or other network address for the minimum threshold (Block 212).
The community application 56 may thus retrieve a list of media
identifiers 58 that satisfy the minimum threshold (Block 214). The
community application 56 may then send a recording instruction to the
user's electronic device 20 (Block 216). The recording instruction may
include the list of media identifiers 58 that satisfy the minimum
threshold. The recording instruction causes the recording application 28
to create a new entry in the user's recording schedule 38 for each media
identifier 58 (Block 218). The user's recording schedule is thus updated
to record content that satisfies the minimum threshold.

[0048] Exemplary embodiments may even pre-populate media to the user's
electronic device 20. When the community application 56 determines or
receives media content that may appeal to a user, the community
application 56 may cause that media content to be downloaded to the
user's electronic device 20 (or some other destination networked with,
associated with, or specified by the user). Continuing with FIG. 10, for
example, the community application 56 may send a download instruction to
a content server 220 (Block 222). The download instruction, for example,
may include some (or all) of the list of media identifiers that satisfy
the minimum threshold. The download instruction, however, may include any
media identifier that may appeal, or has an affinity with, the user. The
download instruction may instruct the content server to send or download
content, associated with the selected media identifier, to the user's
electronic device 20. Here, then, the community application 56 may
pre-populate the user's electronic device 20 with programming and/or
media that appeals to the user. The community application 56 may thus
create a selection of content for the user's immediate enjoyment.

[0049] FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematics illustrating a graphical user
interface 230 for recommending social communities, according to more
exemplary embodiments. The graphical user interface 230 is illustrated as
being processed and visually produced by the recording application 28 on
the display device 92, yet the graphical user interface 230 may have
audible componentry or accompaniments. The graphical user interface 230
has a data field 232 into which the user enters the media identifier 58.
The media identifier 58, as earlier explained, may describe any term(s)
or subject(s) which interest the user. Once the user enters the desired
media identifier 58 (such as by typing "nascar" in the data field 232),
the user submits the media identifier 58 to the community application 56
operating in the server 22. (The user, for example, may select a "Find
Communities" control button 234.) The media identifier 58 is sent to the
community application 56 (via the communications network 24 shown in
FIGS. 1-3), and the community application 56 queries the community
database 70. The community application 56 then returns the listing 90 of
communities that have an affinity or association with the media
identifier 58. The recording application 28 then presents the listing 90
of communities in the graphical user interface 230. When one or more
social communities interest the user, the user may highlight those
communities and, for example, select a "Join Community" control button
236. The user is then enrolled in the selected communities, as earlier
paragraphs explained. Should the user desire more information on a
particular community, the user may highlight or otherwise indicate that
community and, for example, select a "Community Info" control button 238.
The recording application 28 may then cooperate with the community
application 56 to obtain information about the selected community. The
recording application 28 and/or the community application 56, for
example, may query an address associate with that community to obtain
community information.

[0050] The user may be presented with other options for joining
communities. Some digital recorders, for example, offer a "Season Pass"
or "Wish List" recording feature. Exemplary embodiments may be
incorporated into the "Season Pass" or "Wish List" recording features.

[0051] Should a user select either feature, the user may be offered an
opportunity to join a community associated with the programming event.
When, for example, the user schedules recording of "Alias" or "Lost," the
user may join communities associated with either program. If the user
wishes to record any program or media in which "Alicia Witt" is acting,
exemplary embodiments may offer the user an opportunity to join a
community associated with "Alicia Witt." If no community exists, then the
user may be offered an opportunity to create a new community in the
community database 70. When, for example, a response from the community
database 70 indicates that no community is associated with the media
identifier 58, then exemplary embodiments may prompt the user create a
new social community associated with the media identifier 58. The
graphical user interface 230 may have a "Create Community" control button
(not shown for simplicity) that, when selected, allows the user to
establish a new community in the community database 70. The community
database 70 creates a new entry that associates the user to the media
identifier 58. The user may also associate names and/or addresses of
other sponsors and users that might be interested in the new community.
Exemplary embodiments may automatically send an invitation to each
potential sponsor and member.

[0052] The user may select a "My Communities" control button 240. When the
user selects the "My Communities" control button 240, the user is
presented with a listing of communities for which the user is a member.
The recording application 28 may then cooperate with the community
application 56 to query the community membership database 110. Recall
that the community membership database 110 associates user
identifications to social communities. The recording application 28
and/or the community application 56 query the community membership
database 110 for the user identification. The community membership
database 110 responds with a listing of social communities having the
user identification as a member.

[0053] FIG. 12 further illustrates the graphical user interface 230. Here
the graphical user interface 230 displays a listing 242 of social
communities for which the user is a member. When the user desires to see
a listing of the members of a particular community, the user may
highlight the desired community and, for example, select a "Community
Members" control button 244. The recording application 28 and/or the
community application 56 may query the community membership database 110
for all user identifications associated with the selected community. The
community membership database 110 responds with a listing of user
identifications. The recording application 28 may then cause presentation
of a member listing 246 for the community. When the recording application
28, the community application 56, and/or the community membership
database 110 is appropriately configured, the member listing 246 may even
include presence information for each member. The user may thus know what
members are reachable (e.g., online/offline) and even how an individual
member may be reached (instant message, email, cell phone).

[0054] The user may send invites. The user may highlight one or members
and select a "Send Invite" control button 248. The recording application
28, the community application 56, and/or the community membership
database 110 may then cooperate to invite the selected member(s) to join
the community. The invite may be of any communications method (such as
email, instant message, telephone call, or voicemail). Exemplary
embodiments may even automatically alert a community member of actions or
events in the community, such as scheduled or spontaneous chat sessions,
new web log entries, new members, or the presence of particular members.
Exemplary embodiments may even query a community server for current
events or actions, such as what topics are currently being discussed or
chatted. Exemplary embodiments may even permit video/voice conferences
between members of a community.

[0055] Users may establish rules. Exemplary embodiments may permit users
to establish rules for joining communities, for automatic actions on
behalf of the user (such as automatic enrollment), for recording of
media, and/or for communicating with members of communities. Some users,
for example, may not want to accept messages (e.g., emails, chat
messages, or calls) while recording or watching media. "Do Not Disturb"
rules may prevent or hinder communications from some members.
Auto-replies may be established when rules are enacted.

[0056] Some exemplary embodiments may provide other listings. The user,
for example, may be provided a listing of buddies, each buddy's presence,
and even what media that buddy is receiving/watching. The user may view
members, and even non-members, who are watching a particular media or
program (such as "CSI"). Exemplary embodiments may indicate in what
communities a particular user is enrolled, if that particular member
permits revealing this information.

[0057] Some exemplary embodiments may permit sorting. Members and/or
communities may be sorted or arranged according to priority. A user
determines what members, and/or what communities, have higher priority.
Any listings or groupings, then, may be sorted arranged according to this
priority. Users and/or buddies may even be sorted or arranged based on
common attributes. When, for example, two users have similar affinities
for the same media or communities, either of those users may establish a
priority for users having more or less affinity.

[0059] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recommending
social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments. A media
identifier 58 is received that identifies media scheduled for recording
by a user's device 20 (Block 400). A community database 70 may be queried
for the media identifier 58, and the community database 70 associates
social communities to media identifiers (Block 402). A social community
(such as a server or network address) associated with the media
identifier 58 is retrieved (Block 404) and sent to the user (Block 406).

[0060]FIG. 15 is another flowchart illustrating another method for
recommending social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments.
A media identifier 58 is received (Block 500). A community database 70
may be queried for the media identifier 58 (Block 502). A social
community is retrieved (Block 504) and sent to the user (Block 506). The
social community may be queried for a popular media item (Block 508). An
instruction may be sent to have the popular media item added to a
recording schedule (Block 510). A recording database may be queried for a
popularly recorded media item, with the recording database tallying how
many users are recording media items (Block 512). An identifier of a
popular media item that is being recorded by other users is retrieved
(Block 514). An instruction is sent to have the popular media item added
to the recording schedule (Block 516). The social community may be
queried for a media rating (Block 518) and a list of media identifiers 58
is retrieved that is associated with the media rating (Block 520). An
instruction may be sent to have the list of media identifiers 58 added to
a recording schedule (Block 522). An instruction may additionally or
alternatively be sent to download each media item listed in the list of
media identifiers 58 to populate the user's device.

[0061] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another method for recommending
social communities, according to more exemplary embodiments. A user
identification 102 may be received (Block 600). A buddy database 104 may
be queried for the user identification 102 (Block 602). A buddy's user
identification, associated with the user identification 102, is retrieved
(Block 604). A community membership database 110 is queried for the
buddy's user identification, with the community membership database 110
associating user identifications to membership listings of social
communities (Block 606). The buddy's social community (associated with
the buddy's user identification) is retrieved (Block 608) and sent to the
user (Block 610). An instruction may be sent to add the user
identification to a membership listing associated with the buddy's social
community (Block 612). When a recording cancellation message is received
that indicates the media has been removed from a recording schedule, then
the user identification is removed from the membership listing associated
with the buddy's social community (Block 614).

[0062] The recording application 28 and/or the community application 56
may be physically embodied on or in a computer-readable medium. This
computer-readable medium may include CD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy
disk, memory card, and large-capacity disk (such as IOMEGA®,
ZIP®, JAZZ®, and other large-capacity memory products
(IOMEGA®, ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registered trademarks of Iomega
Corporation, 1821 W. Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067, 801.332.1000,
www.iomega.com). This computer-readable medium, or media, could be
distributed to end-users, licensees, and assignees. These types of
computer-readable media, and other types not mention here but considered
within the scope of the embodiments, allow exemplary embodiments to be
easily disseminated. A computer program product comprises the
computer-readable medium and stores computer-executable and/or
processor-executable code or instructions.

[0063] While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect to
various features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilled
in the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited.
Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.